Chelsea humiliated Barcelona with a commanding 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge, leaving the Catalan giants stunned.
The scoring began with an own goal by Barcelona’s Jules Kounde.
However, Barcelona’s woes deepened when their captain, Ronald Araújo, picked up a reckless second yellow card just before halftime, leaving his team with 10 men for the entire second half.
Chelsea capitalised on the numerical advantage, scoring two more goals with clinical finishing. Barcelona struggled to cope defensively and failed to create meaningful chances.
This defeat severely dents Barcelona’s hopes of advancing, while Chelsea strengthens their position in the group, showcasing tactical discipline and pressure.
Here are the Barcelona player ratings:
Joan García (6/10)
Made a sharp save to deny Neto early in the second half, but was beaten by the clinical finishing of Estêvão and Delap on counters.
His handling was steady amid chaos, but Barcelona’s high line left him exposed for all three goals despite some good distribution.
Jules Koundé (4/10)
Battled hard on the right but struggled with Neto’s pace, conceding space for the opener after a poor clearance.
Shifted centrally after Araújo’s sending off, but the reorganisation led to midfield overloads and the third goal.
Ronald Araújo (2/10)
Picked up a stupid yellow card for arguing with the referee instead of staying focused, then collected yet another brainless second yellow (straight red) in the UCL for a reckless challenge.
His repeated lack of discipline reduced Barcelona to 10 men and handed Chelsea complete control, turning a winnable game into a humiliating collapse.
Pau Cubarsí (4/10)
Showed maturity in possession but was dragged out of position by Chelsea’s movement, contributing to the second goal’s buildup.
As the youngest in a reshuffled backline post-red card, he made desperate clearances but couldn’t prevent the collapse.
Alejandro Balde (5/10)
Provided some width on overlaps but was caught high upfield too often, allowing James to exploit transitions.
Won a few duels against Garnacho, but his attacking intent waned after the red card, limiting service to the forwards.
Frenkie de Jong (5/10)
Anchored midfield with 92% pass accuracy and key recoveries, trying to hold the shape after going down to 10.
Dropped deeper to compensate for Araújo’s exit but couldn’t spark attacks, isolated in a sea of Chelsea pressure.
Fermín López (5/10)
Energetic in pressing but overrun centrally, losing possession in dangerous areas that led to counters.
Subbed off in the 68th minute as Barcelona chased the game, his work rate was high, but he lacked the incision needed.
Lamine Yamal (3/10)
Completely neutralised by Cucurella’s tight marking, managing zero successful dribbles and no shots on target.
Frustrated throughout, his lack of influence symbolised Barcelona’s disjointed attack, drawing chants from the home crowd.
Robert Lewandowski (4/10)
Isolated and starved of service, he won only 18% of aerials and had one tame effort saved in the first half.
At 37, the physicality of Chalobah and Adarabioyo overwhelmed him, rendering his hold-up play ineffective.
Ferran Torres (5/10)
Came on as a starter on the left wing, showing early promise with a surging run that created Barcelona’s best first-half chance.
Faded after Araújo’s red card, replaced by Rashford in the second half with minimal impact in a game that turned one-sided.
Substitutes:
Marcus Rashford (5/10)
Showed flashes on the left with a couple of crosses, but faded at the end of the match.
His pace troubled Gusto early, but poor final balls meant no end product in a night of few opportunities.
Raphinha (5/10)
Introduced as a second-half sub for Lewandowski, injecting pace on the right but was unable to break down Chelsea’s organised defence.
Delivered one dangerous cross that nearly led to a consolation, though his final ball was inconsistent in the closing stages.
Dani Olmo (6/10)
Replaced Yamal midway through the second half, immediately adding creativity with a key pass that tested Sánchez.
His technical quality helped Barcelona retain possession late on, earning the highest rating among the attackers despite the defeat.
Gerard Martín (4/10)
Subbed in for Balde at left-back to add defensive solidity amid the numerical disadvantage.
Struggled to contain Chelsea’s right-sided attacks, committing a couple of fouls but offering little going forward in limited time.
Andreas Christensen (5/10) Entered for López but slotted into defence, making a vital block on a late Chelsea surge.
Added composure to the backline but couldn’t stem the tide, with Barcelona pinned back for the final minutes.
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